Student Portrait

My name is Twinkle. I was born and raised in a small town called Mong Ping, which is located in Eastern Shan State, Myanmar. I have one elder sister and one younger sister.

When I was very young, my mother worked as a teacher and loved her job. But when I started going to school, she resigned from her job because her salary was not enough to support our education. After that, she started working as a tailor in order to support us. In 2006, my parents opened a small traditional clothing shop in our hometown.

In 2011, my parents began to live separately because my mother’s relatives wanted them to divorce due to family problems. Despite their wishes, my parents did not divorce because of their children. At the time, my mother was still living in our hometown to take care of her elderly mother, but my father had already left Mong Ping.

So my parents lived apart without divorcing legally. Since my father moved out of our hometown, he didn’t have a job and was unable to support us anymore. My mother had to support all three of us. She continued to work as a tailor and ran a traditional clothing store. Back in those days, we had a very difficult time since my elder sister was still attending university while I was in high school and my little sister was just two years old.

Since my father left us, the relationship between my parents grew worse day by day. Every morning, I went to the market to sell clothes with my mother and take care of my little sister, so I didn’t have enough time to study like others.

When I finished eight grade in 2013, I was sent to a boarding school in Taunggyi. Although I had a chance to study in the city, I was worried about my education expenses since my mother was working alone to support the family. As my mother used to be a teacher, she wants us to be educated and live a comfortable life.

 About Twinkle

  • Age: 25
  • Ethnicity: Shan
  • Country: Myanmar

 School & Program

  • Dhurakij Pundit University International College
  • Bachelor’s, International Business Administration
  • Graduated

Goals & Dreams

  • Become a successful businesswoman

 Loan Details

  • Loan Amount: $5,700
  • Amount Left To Fund: $0
  • Contract Duration: 12 years
  • Status: In Repayment

Quotable

What Others Are Saying About Twinkle

In 2015, I passed my matriculation examination. After that, I returned to my hometown to help my mother. I worked as a tutor for high school students, volunteered as an assistant teacher at a Buddhist school, and also worked as a translator from Burmese to Shan language.

During that time, I heard about studying in Thailand from one of my neighbors. In 2016, I was given a chance to study Business Administration in International Business at Dhurakij Pundit University, which is located in Nonthaburi, Bangkok.

After finishing my study, I would like to work for a successful international company to gain work experience. After I gain experience and save enough money, I will return to my country to start my own business. Becoming a successful businesswoman who can support and help people in my community is my dream.

I would like to help and inspire younger generations in our country to be educated and support underprivileged students who really want to study. Moreover, I would like to be involved in charitable works and contribute to my community to the best of my ability.

Written by Twinkle with editing assistance from Zomia’s volunteer editors.

Q&A With Twinkle

Survey Fun

What is your favorite memory?
Working as a volunteer
How would your friends describe you?
Patient, quiet, kind
What is the one thing that isn’t taught in school but should be?
Foreign languages
What is/was your favorite subject in school?
Mathematics
What skill or ability do you most wish you had (but lack today)?
A good speaker
If you could do anything you wanted now, what would it be?
Stop wars
Where would you most like to travel?
Australia
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?
Shan Noodles
Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
Successful in my career and helping my community